The two brothers who say "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett paid them to stage his Jan. 29 assault announced that they are filing a federal defamation lawsuit against his legal team, including celebrity attorney Mark Geragos.

Corrections and clarifications: The headline of this story was updated to reflect that the Osundairo brothers are accused of carrying out the attack against Jussie Smollett.

The two brothers who say "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett paid them to stage his Jan. 29 assault announced Tuesday that they have filed a federal defamation lawsuit against his legal team, including celebrity attorney Mark Geragos.

Abimbola "Bola" (also known as Abel) and Olabinjo "Ola" Osundairo didn't appear at the Chicago press conference to announce the lawsuit against Geragos and one of his partners, Tina Glandian.

Gloria Schmidt, the Chicago attorney who represented them when they were declared suspects and arrested by Chicago police in February, presided over the affair. She said her two clients "deserve to have their reputations restored" and read a statement from the brothers.

"We have sat back and watched lie after lie being fabricated about us in the media, only so one big lie can continue to have life," the Osundairos' statement read. "These lies are destroying our character and reputation... Anyone who knows us know we do not have hate, that is not who we are... We will no longer sit back and allow these lies to continue."

The Osundairo brothers: Abimbola (known as Bola or Abel), left, and Olabinjo, who goes by "Ola."(Photo: Courtesy of Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo)

The lawsuit, obtained by USA TODAY, asserts that after the collapse of the criminal case against Smollett in late March, Geragos and Glandian defamed the Osundairo brothers multiple times in public statements and in the media, claiming they "criminally attacked" and "criminally battered" the actor and that they may have been wearing "whiteface" during the attack.

In addition, the lawsuit argues that Glandian "falsely stated that the brothers are involved in illegal steroid trafficking," and that she inferred in a podcast interview that one of the brothers engaged in sex with Smollett.

"Bola Osundairo is heterosexual and was dating a woman at the time," the lawsuit counters. Of greater concern to him, it says, are the implications for his safety should the rumor follow him to Nigeria, where he often visits family. Homosexuality is illegal there and can result in a 14-year prison sentence.

All of these statements, the lawsuit says, were made at a "high cost" to the brothers, including damage to their careers, loss of their contracts with talent agents and "irreparable financial damage."

Gloria Schmidt, attorney for Olabinjo Osundairo and Abimbola Osundairo, holds up a copy of their defamation suit against Mark Geragos and lawyers from his firm who represented Jussie Smollett.(Photo: Kiichiro Sato/AP)

As a result, the lawsuit says, the brothers have "suffered significant emotional distress and feel unsafe and alienated in their local Chicago community" due to the lawyers' statements that they had "committed a gruesome hate crime, lied under oath and intentionally misled" the Chicago police.

"Mr. Smollett's attorneys, faced with an outraged public, did not retreat after their success. Instead they doubled down, not simply affirming that Mr. Smollett was a wholly innocent victim, but that (the brothers) unequivocally led a criminally homophobic, racist, and violent attack against Mr. Smollett," the lawsuit says. "(Geragos and Glandian) made these comments knowing they were untrue to distract from Mr. Smollett's farce and to promote themselves and (their law firm)."

The Osundairo brothers, both born and raised in Chicago, are seeking a jury trial for their lawsuit, which does not put an exact dollar amount on the damages they are seeking.

"They told the truth, they could have remained silent, but they told the truth to the police and to the grand jury," Schmidt said at the press conference. "We want to make sure the lies and malice attacking our city, our police department and my clients are met with truth and healing."

According to the Associated Press, Geragos and Glandian issued a statement saying they view the lawsuit as “comical” and “lawyer driven nonsense.” They predicted the lawsuit will be dismissed because it “lacks any legal footing.”

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Following a saga that saw "Empire" star Jussie Smollett go from sympathetic hate-crime victim to indicted suspect accused of orchestrating his own assault, all 16 of the actor's charges were dropped March 26. Here, he smiles and waves to supporters before leaving Cook County Court after the charges were dropped. Paul Beaty, AP

Smollett's "Empire" co-star Taraji P. Henson told USA TODAY later Tuesday that she was "happy that the truth has finally been set free, because I knew it all along. We're all happy for him, and thank God the truth prevailed." Paul Beaty, AP

Meanwhile, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, left, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel held a press conference to blast the decision to drop Smollett's charges and announced they stood by the investigation that concluded the actor staged a hoax. Mitch Armentrout, AP

Actor Jussie Smollett takes a selfie with a fan outside the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago on Tuesday, March 26, 2019, after prosecutors dropped all charges against him. Smollett was indicted on 16 felony counts related to making a false report that he was attacked by two men who shouted racial and homophobic slurs. Ashlee Rezin, Chicago Sun-Times via AP

Actor Jussie Smollett speaks with members of the media after his court appearance at Leighton Courthouse on March 26, 2019 in Chicago, Ill. This morning in court it was announced that all charges were dropped against the actor. Nuccio DiNuzzo, Getty Images

On March 14, "Empire" star Jussie Smollett returned to court to plead not guilty to 16 counts of disorderly conduct and lying to the police about his alleged attack on Jan. 29. The new charges were filed on March 8. Matt Marton, AP

On Feb. 22, Fox announced it was suspending Smollett, one day after the actor was charged with filing a false police report about his alleged Jan. 29 assault. Fox said his character, Jamal Lyon, would be cut out of the final two episodes of Season 5. Chuck Hodes/Fox

"The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us," said a statement from 20th Century Fox Television attributed to the show's executive producers. "Jussie has been an important member of our 'Empire' family for the past five years and we care about him deeply. While these allegations are very disturbing, we are placing our trust in the legal system as the process plays out. We are also aware of the effects of this process on the cast and crew members who work on our show and to avoid further disruption on set, we have decided to remove the role of Jamal from the final two episodes of the season,” they said, referring to his character, Jamal Lyon, the scion of a recording-industry family. Matt Dinerstein/20th Century Fox

Smollett is seen in his Feb. 21 booking photo after turning himself into authorities. The evening before, a grand jury indicted him on a felony count of filing a false police report. Chicago Police Dept. via AP

Cook County Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr. addresses Smollett in a courtroom sketch from his bond hearing on Feb. 21. Lyke said he was taken aback by the accusations
even as he told the actor he has the presumption of innocence. “The most vile and despicable part of it, if it’s true, is the noose," said Lyke, who, like Smollett, is black. "That symbol conjures up such evil in this country’s history." Tom Gianni/AP

Assistant State's Attorney Risa Lanier briefs reporters after Smollett's bond hearing. Prosecutors say he paid two brothers to stage the assault and stage-managed the whole thing, choosing the location and telling them to put a rope around his neck, pour bleach on him and yell, "This is MAGA country!" Teresa Crawford/AP

Jussie Smollett leaves Cook County jail after posting bail on Feb. 21. The judge set his bond at $100,000, required the actor to surrender his passport and forbade him from having any contact with the brothers.
Nuccio DiNuzzo, Getty Images

In a press conference following his arrest, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said, "First Smollett attempted to gain attention by sending a false letter that relied on racial homophobic and political language. When that didn’t work, Smollett paid $3,500 to stage this attack. The stunt was orchestrated by Smollett because he was dissatisfied with his salary so he concocted a story about being attacked." Scott Olson, Getty Images

On Feb. 22, less than 10 days after interviewing Smollett on "Good Morning America," Robin Roberts called his arrest a "setback for race relations, homophobia, MAGA supporters – the fingers were pointed at them. I cannot think of another case where there's this anger on so many sides, and you can understand why there would be." Stephen Green/ABC

Smollett referenced his attack during a Feb. 2 concert in Los Angeles, less than a week later. He told the crowd, "I had to be here tonight, y'all. I couldn't let those (expletives) win." Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for ABA

Smollett laughs with co-star Taraji P. Henson during a scene from Season 5. The actress, who plays his mother, expressed support for him the day after the alleged assault in an Instagram post, writing, "I wish what happened to my baby was just one big bad joke but it wasn’t and we all feel his pain right now." Chuck Hodes/Fox

First lady Michelle Obama moves out of the way as she welcomes performer Jussie Smollett, in the State Dinning Room of the White House in Washington, Feb. 24, 2016, during an interactive student workshop on the musical legacy of Ray Charles, where students from 10 schools and community organizations from across the country participate as part of the "In Performance at the White House" series. Andrew Harnik, AP